


Speechless

by andrastesgrace (RoxieFlash), gallifreyslostson



Series: Family Assembled [2]
Category: Agent Carter (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-05
Updated: 2015-10-05
Packaged: 2018-04-24 20:53:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4934890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoxieFlash/pseuds/andrastesgrace, https://archiveofourown.org/users/gallifreyslostson/pseuds/gallifreyslostson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Edwin has some trouble asking the girl at the hotel to dinner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Speechless

**Author's Note:**

> gyönyörű means beautiful, and Anna has been cast as the great and glorious Hedy Lamarr.

"Marry me, Anna. You're the only woman for me."

"I think, Mr. Kris, that your wife would disagree."

The hotel concierge, at least fifty if he was a day and quite proud of his family, gave a long suffering sigh.  "I suppose it was not meant to be."

"Perhaps if I was born thirty years earlier," Anna suggested, fighting a smile.

"If you were this age thirty years ago, I would not have known how to talk to you, gyönyörű."

Anna did smile then, as much at the compliment as the wink that accompanied it. Mr. Kris had taken her under his wing when she first started at the hotel’s tailor shop last year, and had since proven to be a shameless but harmless flirt in between stories of his wife and daughters...all seven of them. That alone was enough to convince Anna that for all his banter, he was very much enamored with his wife.

"Mr. Kris, I doubt you have ever been at loss for words."

"Only when I met my Katerina," he said wistfully, then glanced toward the door. "However, I think the time has come for a new generation to be rendered speechless by beautiful women such as yourself."

She leaned over the counter curiously, then flushed when she saw the long, lean shape of Captain Jarvis moving toward them.  He'd been at the hotel for two weeks now, attached to some British general that Anna had only seen once or twice, and only just as he was leaving or arriving. Captain Jarvis, on the other hand, she'd seen nearly every day. The first day he'd wandered in, she'd sold him a necktie that he could never wear with his uniform, but she was sure would bring out his lovely blue eyes in any other attire. Since then, he'd come in with a variety of peculiar mending needs, and seemed to stay just a bit longer each time.

Never, however, long enough to ask her to dinner, much to her increasing disappointment.

"Captain Jarvis," she greeted him as he approached the counter.  "So good to see you again."

"Yes, and you," he replied, giving her an answering smile.

"What, no trousers torn at the seam today?" Mr. Kris asked with a glance at Anna, she hushed him with a glare.

"Ignore him," Anna said with a wave of her hand.

"Happily, that should not be an issue, as I have no idea what he said," Captain Jarvis said mildly.  "I have yet to gain any real mastery at Hungarian, though not by lack of trying."

"Perhaps you just need a better tutor," Anna suggested, and he coughed with an adorable sense of awkwardness.

"Yes, possibly," he agreed, tugging at his ear.  "Until then, um, my jacket?"

"Of course, one moment," she said, pushing away from the counter. "Mr. Kris, I believe you have work to return to."

"Not really," the concierge said amiably, switching to English.  "Tell me, Captain Jarvis, what do you think of young Anna here?"

Captain Jarvis's eyes went wide in panic. "I--well, that is--she's rather--"

"Yes, she is, isn't she," Mr. Kris said, glancing at Anna and tapping a finger to his nose. "What do you know, I believe I might have some work to do after all."

Anna stared daggers at the older man as he grinned and exited the little tailor shop, then looked back at Captain Jarvis with a bright smile.

"I'll just go get your jacket."

"It must get awfully dull sitting here all day," he called after her as she hurried into the tiny back area for his jacket.

"Not really," she replied, loud enough for him to hear. "I like to watch the people. They're fascinating, you know, when they don't think anyone is watching."

"Oh, I'm certain," he said. "You've probably sketched any number of scandals."

He smiled at the laugh that escaped her as she returned. He'd caught her drawing nearly a week ago, when he'd dropped off the trousers that had, indeed, been torn, rather conveniently, up the inseam. He'd been fascinated, looking through nearly her entire sketchbook when she gave him permission.

"I don't know about that," she said, laying his jacket on the counter. "Not purposely, at any rate. But I'll tell you," she said, leaning in conspiratorially, and he moved closer automatically, hands clasping his elbows as he rested his forearms on the counter. "There was a woman here yesterday with a dog, a rich woman, and the dog had diamonds in its collar! Can you believe that?"

"I've seen stranger," he said with a shrug.

"Have you?"

"Well...no, not as such," he said, pulling a face that made her giggle. "But I remain hopeful. But honestly, that just seems overly ostentatious, if the stones were real."

"Was she royalty, do you think?"

"Possibly," he replied, but sounded doubtful. "Either that, or an actress. Hollywood is quickly becoming the royalty of America, by all accounts."

"Really? Oh, I'd love to see America one day. Have you ever been?"

"I haven't had the pleasure, no," he told her. "Although I have an American acquaintance. Well, the General does. What would you like to see there?"

"The cities," she replied, without hesitation, as her gaze moved off dreamily. "New York has the tallest building in the world. I want to go to the very top, one day, see what it feels like on top of the world. Could you imagine what it must feel like at sunrise, surrounded by all that beauty and life?"

"I could wager a guess," he murmured. Her eyes returned to his, and she suddenly realized how very close they were, despite the counter between them.

A beat passed before it seemed to occur to him as well, and he straightened quickly with an awkward cough. He asked how much he owed her, and just like that, the moment was gone, and Anna wanted to sigh in disappointment. Instead, she simply turned her attention to the register with an air of deliberate professionalism.

"I wonder, Anna, if..."

He trailed off, and she raised her eyes expectantly. "Yes?"

"Would you...um...have any handkerchiefs?"

"You know I do," she said, raising an eyebrow.  "You bought one three days ago."

"Ah, yes well. The General developed a frightful head cold you see," he explained, with another awkward tug of his ear. "He used my handkerchief, lacking his own, and I thought, at that point, that he should really just keep it."

"Probably wise," she told him carefully, on the off chance he was telling the truth. "White linen again, or would you prefer silk?"

"White linen is fine," he said, sounding relieved.

She grabbed one and added it to his bill, accepting his money and making change automatically. As he turned to leave, though, she threw caution to the wind.

"Captain Jarvis, will you have dinner with me?"

He swiveled back to her, arching an eyebrow. "You know, I'm fairly certain that was supposed to be my line."

"You missed your cue," she said with a little shrug, and his lips twitched.

"Lucky I have such a quick thinking leading lady." He eyed her a moment, then shook his head. "Still, I would be remiss to abandon my own responsibility. Anna, would you care to have dinner with me tonight?"

"I'm not sure," she said. "I'll have to check my schedule." His brows shot up in surprise, and she grinned at him. "As it turns out, I'm free."

"How fortuitous," he said with a smirk. "What time are you done here?"

"Six."

"I'll be here with bells on," he told her.

He returned at ten minutes to six, waiting patiently as she closed up the shop before offering his arm and handing her an orchid.  He cut a gorgeous figure in his dress uniform, and Anna felt suddenly nervous and underdressed—but even though he’d seen her earlier, he still told her looked beautiful as she pinned the flower to her dress. He took her to a lovely little restaurant for dinner, then for a walk through the chilly night. Anna was sure, as the evening went on, that she'd never smiled so much; as he relaxed, he revealed more of his subtle and slightly sarcastic sense of humor, positively delighting her at every turn. As quiet as he seemed, there was never any uncomfortable lapse in conversation--he told her some of the places he'd been, and of growing up in England, and asked her a million questions about herself, her family, and her dreams.

It was close to midnight when he finally walked her to her doorstep, although she didn't feel the least bit sleepy. They talked quietly for another few minutes, then he sighed regretfully.

"I suppose I should say good night," he said, glancing at her door before giving her a speculative look. "Anna...may I...kiss you?"

"Captain Jarvis, if you don't, I'll never speak to you again," she said breathlessly, and he smiled as he lifted a hand to her cheek. He lowered his head and kissed her softly, and her head swam as she raised a hand to the back of his neck. He chuckled against her lips and wrapped an arm around her waist when she raised herself up on her tiptoes to kiss him back.

He gazed at her a moment when he broke the kiss, his thumb caressing her cheek. "Tell me, Anna, what does your schedule look like for tomorrow?"

Anna tilted her head with a thoughtful hum. "I think...I might have plans with an English captain."

"Lucky man," he said, fighting a smile when she nodded seriously.

"Almost as lucky as me," she added and he swallowed hard before kissing her again.


End file.
